South Africa must sell 2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Millions of doses of this vaccine were contaminated with components of other vaccines at a facility in Baltimore, USA. According to US authorities, at least 60 million doses must be discarded.
as reported from Johannesburg,Romain Song
Until a few months ago, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to a partnership, the American vaccine will be assembled and dropped locally in Port Elizabeth at the pharmaceutical giant’s Aspen factory.
Doses that do not leave the warehouse: 2 million vaccines are suspected to have been contaminated and can be thrown in the trash. The South African Health Products Agency is expected to issue an opinion soon.
As compensation, a batch of 300,000 doses will be imported from the United States due to an emergency. South Africa has only vaccinated 3% of its target population and the country has entered its third wave of the epidemic.
“This is a step backwards in our vaccination program,” acknowledged the acting health minister. This new delay and this possible waste is also a severe blow to the continent. Johnson & Johnson has promised 400 million doses to the African Union.
Following the AstraZeneca vaccine failure, which was sold by South Africa because it was not considered effective enough against the local variant, the country therefore suffered a new setback in its vaccination campaign.
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